Afghanistan War veterans reunite, talk about return to civilian life | 60 Minutes Archive
In a Nutshell
Afghanistan War veterans from Golf Company, 2/8 Marines, reunited after five years to confront the lasting impact of combat and their struggles returning to civilian life. Many carry deep psychological wounds—PTSD, survivor’s guilt, isolation, and suicidal thoughts—while some, like Rory Hamill who lost a leg, have found purpose through work helping other wounded warriors. The reunion underscores their unbreakable brotherhood and the ongoing challenge of translating battlefield bonds and purpose into civilian existence.
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Two and a half million Americans served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 60 Minutes team revisited Golf Company, Second Battalion of the Eighth Marines, who were first met in 2009 when they were taking the highest casualties on Afghanistan's most lethal battlefield. The reunion took place in Washington the previous summer, where the Marines' searing experience had made them brothers in war and peace.
The veterans were caught up with on a field trip during their Washington reunion. They fell in without uniforms, weapons, or the passing of years. They were mostly civilians now, gathered in one place where they could be together and say things that had been left unsaid or deliver news of the last five years.
Golf Company's Lance Corporal Burrow and Lieutenant Bourgeoa were enlisted in the ranks of Arlington National Cemetery. Each stone arch served as a gateway through time. Names mentioned included Lance Corporal Jonathan F. Straoud and Lance Corporal Gregory A. Posey. In September 2009, Golf Company had stood rigid in a mudwalled memorial service, coming to grips with the terrible loss signified by seven battlefield crosses.
First Sergeant Robert Pulland called the role of the dead, including Lance Corporal Patrick W. Shiml, Lance Corporal Dennis J. Burl, Lance Corporal Javier OA, and Lance Corporal David R. Hall. The seven Marines had died fighting to clear and hold the Taliban heartland during exhausting months negotiating around landmines and skeptical elders.
Back in 2009, the Marines' orders were to use restraint. Corporal Jonathan Ciseno expressed his frustration, stating it sucked because all you want to do is get that guy for everything, for revenge, to say the least. This was in response to the death of his friend Nick Exaros, who was killed in 2009 by a roadside bomb.
Five years later, Ciseno had used his veterans benefits for college and was now selling retirement plans for Lincoln Financial outside Philadelphia. He moved on but never let go of Exaros, stating it was because of people like him that he wanted to continue to push harder in life and succeed, because the good ones pass and he can't let that be in vain. It drives him and motivates him.
When asked if there was anything he missed about Afghanistan and the Marine Corps, Ciseno responded absolutely, the brotherhood, with no question about that. He missed the sense of purpose, having a mission, and feeling accomplished with everything he did even at a young age. He noted that when transitioning into the real world, you have to find out what your mission is.
Ciseno stated he didn't want to put Afghanistan behind him, but wanted it to be real in everything he did because it gives him something to live for and something to stand for. He loved the camaraderie and everything that came along with it, stating there's nothing like it and he hasn't found anything like it.
Golf Company's Rory Hamill was so dedicated to the camaraderie that he went back to Afghanistan for another tour in 2011. He supposed it was to try and get back at the guys that killed his brothers. When asked about the day he was wounded, he explained they came across a local national who gave them intelligence that there was an IED in a compound next to his house.
Hamill took the mine sweeper off his point man's back and jokingly said see you on the other side. He got about three-quarters of the compound swept and then stepped on a low metallic pressure plate, and his leg was instantly sheared off. He remembered it seemed very surreal, his vision went gray, there was a lot of ringing, and dust everywhere. When the dust settled, his right leg was gone halfway up the thigh.
At Walter Reed Medical Center, President Obama presented Hamill with a Purple Heart, which he described as an amazing experience. When asked if he must have been in a pretty dark place, he confirmed the first two weeks involved thoughts of why didn't he die and what he was going to do now with his life. When asked if there were times he wished he hadn't survived, he admitted he was contemplating taking his own life, but realized he had children who depend on him.
Urged onto a different course by his father, Hamill pressed through counseling and physical therapy. He found work managing logistics in a Navy program for wounded warriors. When asked if having been through everything, would he do it again, he replied in a heartbeat, stating it made him the man he is today. He still feels responsible for his Marines, noting they're still your Marines, they always will be.
Golf Company's battalion commander was Lieutenant Colonel Christian Cabin, who told them this summer of decision in Afghanistan in 2009, they were going to change history. Today he's Colonel Cabinus and joined this reunion. When asked why some Marines are still struggling after coming home after five years, he explained that in some ways they all do when they come back because they're trying to put that experience into perspective.
Colonel Cabinus joked that he's never more popular coming home from a deployment than right before the bus door opens, with everyone saying Superman's coming, but when the door opens, it's just him. They expect you to fall back into those roles as husband, father, brother, nephew, cousin, uncle, as if nothing changed.
There were definitely times when Dan O'Hara questioned what they were doing over there. Five years ago, he was a fresh second lieutenant leading his first combat platoon. When asked what the biggest threat to his Marines was, he identified the improvised explosive devices. He told them then that he joined the Marines because he didn't want to regret not serving.
It turned out they met O'Hara on what would be his worst day. It was a mission to diffuse a landmine and it went exactly according to plan, but on the way back, Lance Corporal David Hall detonated a second bomb. The next day, O'Hara tried to give meaning to Hall's death, telling his Marines they were doing the right things, doing good work, making a difference, fighting for the people of Afghanistan and ultimately fighting for their country.
When asked if they should have been in Afghanistan, O'Hara said he doesn't know, maybe the answer is yes, maybe it's no. When running into people who ask about Afghanistan and what their goals were there, he finds himself in the same boat, honestly saying he doesn't know. After two tours and a lot of questions, O'Hara was recruited into General Electric's program for returning vets and is now a project manager for GE Oil and Gas. He sometimes thinks about running for office.
O'Hara stated he had done what he wanted to do in the Marine Corps, deploying twice in the defense of his nation, which was something he was proud of. There's certainly part of him that says he's glad that's over with, saying goodbye to all that and goodbye Afghanistan, he won't be seeing it again.
Those images are burning in your head and never go away. Afghanistan did not leave Golf Company's Devon Jones. Like many others, Jones brought the war home. He described it as rough, not doing anything during the day, moving at night. The anxiety of post-traumatic stress left him isolated and jobless. He was getting closer to being on the streets, getting eviction notices, and ended up losing his apartment.
When asked where he went after losing the apartment, Jones explained he stayed in his storage unit for a little while. When asked why he wasn't reaching out for help, he felt like a complete idiot and failure, going from being a very proud combat veteran to another percentage of the homeless vets. It's so much easier to give up, going from having a stable job and everyone caring about you 24/7 to being alone, broke, eating saltine crackers, living in a storage unit.
What torments Jones is that he isn't alone - there is the persistent presence of his friend Dennis Burrow. After Burrow was killed by a landmine, Golf Company put his name on a combat outpost so he wouldn't be forgotten. The dead are immortal in the mind. Jones was there when Burrow died, but he's not sure if he really wants to go into detail on that too much, not wanting to be the person the family hears that from if they don't already know.
Jones stated it's not easy to think about that day because it was a pretty rough day. He acknowledged he's still looking out for Burrow, noting you never stop looking out for your team, your team's everything. He's had nightmares where he's just been sitting there staring at him. When asked if he sometimes thought he'd like to trade places, he said every day, every single day, questioning how he deserves to be here.
Jones addressed Burrow directly, saying it's been a long time, he misses him, there's nothing else to really say, just look after us, look after everybody else. He's thinking about him. The men do look after one another with phone calls at 3:00 a.m. to be reminded that what got them through combat will get them through whatever they're fighting now. There is a bond that only a vet can know that does not loosen with time.
When asked where he thinks these Marines will be five years from now, Colonel Cabinus expressed hope that five years from now they're still coming together to see each other and talk to each other, talking about their kids and things going on in their lives, having been able to put that experience in perspective and use it as a foundation. He stated these kids are our next greatest generation, not necessarily because of what they did on the battlefield, but because of what they did when they got home.
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